USS POWER WEB SITE www.usspowerdd839.org
THE BLACKBIRD USS POWER DD-839 ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER
2016
WHAT’S INSIDE PAGE 1 OFFICERS PAGE
2 OFFICERS 3 SECRETARY REPORT
4 PINTO’S REPORT 5 REUNION INFO
6 EVENTS & INFO 7 WEB SITE - TREASURER
8 CHAPLAIN’S REPORT
Newsletter Founder Editor
PETER DEPIETRO 2008 - 2013
SHIPS MOTTO
THE FLEET’S FINEST
PRESIDENT’S NOTES:
I hope you all had a good summer. Now that fall is here, it is time for yard clean up. Remember at our next reunion in Columbus, GA we will be voting on 2018 Executive Board, we need a nomination for Jr. Vice President. It is a three year term from January 2018 to January 2021. Reunion dates are 22 June to 26 June 2017 at the Double Tree by Hilton. We need to get some new members. When you are out and about town, look for people wearing jackets and/or hats that say Veteran or Navy ask them if they served on USS POWER, then invite them to join us at our next reunion. We hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving and as we approach the Christmas Season may we all remember the true meaning of why we celebrate December 25th.Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year.
Will Rogers said “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there”.
Carl P. Burnham, President USS POWER (DD 839) Association
9185 Ogden Street Omaha, NE 68134
PH: (402) 571-1865 Email: [email protected]
USS POWER DD 839 OFFICERS
President- Carl Burnham Sr. Vice President - Ed Chartrand Jr. Vice President - John Goricki
Secretary - Bob Pulaski Treasurer - Jim Brocklebank Chairman - John S. Pinto
STAFF:
Master-At-Arms - Eric Barnes Storekeeper - Jim Brocklebank
Chaplain - Michael Farrens
Webmaster - William Kirsch Newsletter— John Pinto
DUES ARE NOW DUE $20.00 MAKE CHECK OUT TO: USS POWER DD 839 ASSOC.
DUES R DUE BY JAN 5, 2017 SEND TO : BOB PULASKI
FOR YEAR 2017 43 SEA LN. PALMETTO DUNES
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC. 29928
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 2
JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT Shipmates, Well here we are on the cusp of yet another new beginning. I am not wont to speak of political matters but the matters that lie before us as a country, are no longer merely political. They are They are indeed real and clear and positive change does seem to be the order of the day. I am looking forward to our next reunion in Columbus , Ga., and I do believe we will begin to feel some change, both in our country and association. I think we will have a resurgence in both. In Particular, I am hoping for a great improvement in the status of the military both in the perceived public status and the real and tangible status of military viability. I cringe when anyone says we have the strongest military in the world. Not when it is being depleted both in policy and in sheer numbers, not to mention having to beg, borrow, or steal spare parts, Now however, the horizon looks bright. I think too that the horizon will be brighter for the USS Power Association. I think that we will have a larger turnout in Columbus and I am going to seek a commitment from all attendees to garner at least one new commitment for the Portland reunion. Apart from the above I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I am hopeful for a truly prosperous New Year for our country and ourselves. YEA U.S.A. and the USS Power Association. John Goricki
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT NOTES:
Greetings Fellow Shipmates and Powerful Ladies: Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy Prosperous New Year. Veteran' Day has come and gone, but a good day it was to be a Veteran! It started at our down-town court house where we were greeted with a north wind and 40 degree temp, it was pretty chilly. But the "Award Winning" American Legion Band warmed things up. I was lucky enough to be part of the VFW color guard. After the ceremonies it was back to our VFW Post where Mary Lou and her staff of volunteers were ready to serve us with home-made soup and beef sandwiches. The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting other VFW'S and American Legion Posts. Please support your local posts with their activities, dinners, bingo etc. Come June we will be heading to Columbus, Georgia. It would be really nice to have a good turn out. If you cannot find a fellow shipmate invite a family member or friend. HOW ABOUT THOSE WORLD CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS!
Ed Chartrand, Sr. Vice President [email protected]
There's nothing mystical or complicated about a sextant. All it is is a device that measures the angle
between two objects.
What makes a sextant so useful in navigation is its accuracy. It can measure an angle with precision to the nearest ten seconds. (A degree is divided into 60 minutes; a minute is divided into 60 seconds.)
After not using sextants for over 20 years at the Naval Academy in Annapolis they will start using them. They will be seeing the stars in the traditional way in the event of GPS or Radar goes down in a cyber security threat. Computers
are great but there are no backups! ( Article was in the US BOAT MAGAZINE )
FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY ROBERT PULASKI
Greeting One & All:
We Started out the year with a bang A great Reunion and as always an excellent job from John Pinto & Kay. And then all hell broke loose with the weather. No matter what part of the country you live in- Nature took its toll. Forest Fires, Flooding, Hurricanes Tornados you name it-we got it. Hopefully it ran its course and we
can get back to normal. The Holidays will soon be upon us –Thanksgiving-Christmas, New Years. Family and friends get together, sharing presents and celebrating a New Year. Let’s not forget that with the New Year also is “Dues Yea r” and for $20.00 you get all the info about your
shipmates and the proposed planning activities-so if you can please send in your dues and you are good for another year.
Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Joyous Holiday to you and yours.
Bob Pulaski
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 3
USS POWER DD 839 *POWERFUL* LADIES* AUXILIARY*
USS POWERFUL LADIES AUXILIARY:
Hope all have happy holidays and a very happy, healthy 2017 New Year to come. R U working on your photo album from the Washington D.C. reunion? Please do and share them with us at
the reunion USS Power shipmates: The photos that we put up every year in the hospitality room needs your photo of yourself in uniform. Please bring yours to the next reunion or mail to me with your name, rank and years that you were in the Navy We will do Bingo again this year
as we had so much fun at our last reunion. We will announce time and place at the reunion. Our theme for the Georgia reunion is "CAMOUFLAGE" There will be a prize for the best male and female camouflages attire. Ladies we will have our meeting same time as the men's. Please
bring your ideas to help support our USS Power Shipmates and other Veteran's. At our last night at the reunion dinner dance would you buy or make a door prize? Thank a Vet everyday!
Mary Lou Chartrand, Chairwomen [email protected]
CHAIRWOMAN
Mary Lou Chartrand
[email protected] 815-744-3978
SECRETARY
Julia Goricki
803-397-9800
Welcome Shipmates:
I hope you are all doing well and have enjoyed the Washington DC. Reunion. Although the attendance wasn’t up to where it should be. We were able to do the tours and had a great Banquet. You can check out our website
www.usspowerdd839.org or my own website at www.usspowerdd839.com for photo’s of reunion and updates of upcoming reunions. My website was put together 3 years ago as a backup to get info out to the membership when we didn’t have a webmaster. I own & pay for it. Our webmaster Bill Kirsch has done a great job with the
new look of the Power website and is working on Face book USS POWER GROUP, so sign up and post photo’s and comments. You can check The Tin Can Sailor website for our Reunion In Review of our Washington DC.Reunion. http://www.destroyers.org/reunions/reunions-in-review.htm Highlight copy & paste link to the
address bar of your browser. There has been some comments on changing the length of reunion stay from 4 nights to a 3 night stay. We can discuss this at our membership meeting along with our 2019 reunion location. One of our shipmates has asked about a message board on our website. I remember we had one and it started
off great then the webmaster was getting hacked into and obscene things were posted so he removed it. You can join www.military.com go to log in and go to register fill in info and submit & join the USS POWER HOME PAGE. Start using the message board to communicate with lost buddies. ( If you haven’t paid your dues for
2017 it will be due on Jan 5, 2017 for the year 2017) It is still $20.00, it hasn’t gone up since we started the Association. If you know of a buddy that wants to join as a new member and he comes to the reunion he will receive a Power cap. We have lost 4 of our shipmates this year, Joe Popwell –David Swindells—Richard Walsh—
Richard Durgin they will be honored at our Two Bell Ceremony at our Banquet Sunday June 25, 2017 they will be missed. We have been looking for ways to reach out to our shipmates to come to the reunions. We have a committee to make phone calls send e-mails and give information on our reunion locations and generate new
members. Our committee consist of 4 headed by John Goricki who has made a remarkable recovery of back & neck surgery and plans on attending the reunion along with John the others working with him are Mike Farrens / John Weaver / Harry Daub / and Ed Chartrand when he is available. The other options in the next two
years are to merge with other ships in Desron 14 and combine reunions. We have been thinking of going back to September October reunion dates for 2019.Maybe many had problems with May—June with Communions—Graduations and couldn't attend the reunion. MaryLou will be doing Bingo after our Welcome Aboard Sword Cutting Ceremony on Thursday June 22 and as always it should be fun. We will have a lot of prizes to bring.
We can get a DJ for the Banquet Dinner or go with the Karaoke again and do better. So start practicing, pick out your songs and in January I will be asking for your songs. There is a function form attached to be filled out and mailed back. Please fill it out, even if you are not attending the reunion and include it with your dues. This will
keep you on our mailing list to receive a newsletter April-August-December. Please have your function form returned on or before April 1st so we don’t have to cancel any tours or lose our deposits.
Reunion Info: Start making your reservation for your travel and book your room, tell the Hotel Doubletree by Hilton Columbus, GA.-5351 Sidney Simons Blvd.-Columbus, GA. 31904-706-327-6868 tell them
you are with the USS POWER DD 839 Group and request a room on the 5th Floor by the Hospitality Room the cut off date is May 12, 2017 so book early. If flying in make you transportation arrangement so you don’t get shut out. If you need to contact me send a e-mail to [email protected] it is the best way to reach me since
I travel a lot.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Safe Travels To Reunion John Pinto
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 4
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 5
*Chairman's Report*
To be read at the Membership Meeting June 24, 2017-Saturday
Columbus, George 2017 Reunion June 22-26, 2017- 4- Nights
Updated Info to All Shipmates Due's Paid Up Members and New Members
Submitted:
By Chairman John S. Pinto
We will be holding elections of Officers at the Columbus George Reunion 2017
The floor will be open to all nominations and the membership will vote on the new slate of Executive Committee
Officers. The President of the Power Association ( Carl Burnham) will act as Chairman of the Election. If you are interested or want to nominate someone let Carl Burnham know in advance. You must be in attendance to nominate someone. The President Carl Burnham shall appoint two members in good standing to serve with him
as the nominating committee. It shall be the duty of this committee to seek qualified candidates for all elective offices and present them at the general business meeting. Nomination will also be accepted from the floor at the
general business meeting to paid up members in good standards
Those elected will assume office 1 January 2018
Nominating Committee Members : Carl Burnham * John Pinto * John Goricki
Executive Committee Officers Running for the Office Nominees
Officers Elected for 3- Year Term (*President *Sr. Vice President * Jr. Vice President)
Takes effect *Jan. 1, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2021
If unopposed willing to stay on: Chairman I Treasurer / Secretary
Should no nomination be received for this office, if willing, continue in office.
President : Edward Chartrand
Sr. Vice President John Goricki
Jr. Vice President Open Mike Farrens Chairman John Pinto
Treasurer Jim Brocklebank
Secretary Robert Pulaski
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 6
A Note From The Classon Home Article Four
Composed, Edited, and Written by
H. Bernie. Classon Jr
On 29 January, 1952 while serving As a Radar man
board the USS Power DD839 during a lull in NATO
fleet Exercises off the Coast of Greenland.
DECEMBER 2016 USS POWER NEWS PAGE 7
USS Power DD-839 Website
http://www.usspowerdd839.org
As you may already know the www.usspowerdd839.org web site, is up and running. The transition from the
old to the new website has now come together. Check it out and let me know your thoughts and comments. So if you note issues, or have other concerns with the site, contact me at [email protected]. my goal is keeping our web site current. There is a Facebook link feature on the Power website that will connect you to https://www.facebook.com/groups/251397985047 which is the USS Power Facebook page. You will need to establish a Facebook account to join if you do not already have one. Currently there are thirty members on the group site. Check out both sites at your convenience. Best Holiday Wishes to everyone and hope to see you at the Columbus, GA reunion this coming June 2017.
Webmaster - Bill Kirsch
JIM BROCKLEBANK, Treasure /Storekeeper
E-MAIL: [email protected] PHONE: (205) 758-2725
LOT’S OF ITEMS FOR SALE ! GO TO:
WWW.USSPOWERDD839.ORG
Treasure Report: We have a balance of $5497.43 in the checking account. Dues form 2017 should start coming in shortly I hope.
Store keeper report. Received a new shipment of blue hats which were depleted at the last reunion. A good supply of shirts are on hand for the holiday season.
Jim Brocklebank Treasure/Storekeeper
USS POWER DD 839 ASSOCIATION JOHN S. PINTO
P.O. BOX 640813
BEVERLY HILLS, FL. 34464
«Address Block»
THE CHAPLAIN’S CORNER In Memory of DUANE C. ( Dewey ) RAY Deceased: October 6, 2015
Hello shipmates. I'm as well as a 75 year old can be. I continue to call fellow shipmates to chat and pray. I'm in Florida right next to the Atlantic Ocean, so Hurricane Matthew gave us a scare, but we
got through it with very little damage.
If you need prayer, please email me at [email protected], or call me at 386-265-1645. I
am on Facebook too!
Hope to see you in Georgia next summer for the reunion
God bless all of you. Sincerely,
Deceased Shipmates: 2016 Herman Joe Popwell 1934 June 7, 2016 53-56-EM2 David Swindells 1931 July 31, 2016 53-55– LTJG Richard Walsh 1933 Oct. 14, 2016 54-55- PC3 Richard Dick Durgin 1930 Nov. 23, 2016 48-51-FN
Michael K. Farrens, Chaplain 4 Ocean Side Drive, Ormond Beach, FL 32176 [email protected]
Function Form & Mailing Info Update
Reunion 2017 * Columbus , Georgia Doubletree Hotel Columbus
June 22-26, 2017
Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.
4-nights
Check out June 26, 2017 Monday
*PLEASE FILL OUT FORM & RETURN BY * ( Due by: 01 April 2017)
5351 Sidney Simons Blvd.
Columbus, GA. 31909
706-327-6868
Optional Transportation from Atlanta Airport : Groome Transportation Shuttle to Hotel round trip one person $98.00
Two people round trip $176.00– More then two people you can rent a car it may be cheaper. It is 1-hour 30 minutes one way
Shipmates Name : Address:
Spouse ; Address:
Guest : Phone #
Guest : E-mail :
Time Served Aboard : From Rate While Aboard :
Time Served Aboard : To
Will you be attending the 2017 Reunion Yes No Will you be staying at the Host Hotel Yes No
How will you be traveling to the Reunion
Car Plane Train Do you have any Dietary issues Yes No
Do you have any Handicap Issues Yes No Dietary Issue :
Cane: Walker : Cart : Wheel Chair : Other :
Airport Shuttle Service : Complimentary shuttle To Columbus Metropolitan (CSG) Airport
Tour One: Friday 6/23/17 (Fort Benning & National Infantry Museum) Motor Coach-Handicap Accessible
Board Motor Coach 8:15am - Tour 8:30am to 4:30 pm Lunch Included Cost : $ 28.00 p. p X =
Tour Two: Saturday 6/24/17 (Civil War Museum & FDR Little White House) Cost : $ 55.00 p. p X =
Board Motor Coach 8:45am - Tour 8:45am to 4:45pm Lunch Included Registration Fee: $ 15.00 $15.00
Membership Dues : 2017 - If not paid add $20.00 Add $20.00
Welcome Aboard Buffet: Cost : $ 25.00 p. p X =
EACH HOTEL ROOM BOOKED WILL PAY A
$15.00 REGISTRATION FEE
Make out Check To: USS POWER DD 839 ASSOC.
Mail To: Robert Pulaski 43 SEA .LN PALMETTO DUNES
HILTON HEAD ISLAND,SC.29928
Any Questions contact John Pinto 352-527-2352
Or e-mail [email protected]
DUES R DUE
BY JAN. 5, 2017
FOR YEAR 2017
*TOUR OPTIONS * MUST HAVE 35 TO DO TOURS *NO REFUNDS AFTER June 7, 2017*